Coding Google Docs

  • From: John Martyn <johnrobertmartyn@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:37:10 -0800

I just watched this video and it presets a flurry of issues with Jaws. Not to 
say this is impossible, it seems like the normal issues one would encounter 
with the web browser in general. Things not speaking can be corrected depending 
on this application actually naming these windows. I could identify where and 
what you could do if this information was present and readable. This is 
definately a serious issue. I have talked with the NFB before when putting 
Rhapsody blind out there. Even a radio show with Jamie Pauls. Either the 
universities, NFB, freedom scientific, or google might be able to work with us 
on this. Perhaps a joint effort. One thing about focusing the application, is 
that windows are nested within regular apps. Hopefully, this would ring true 
for this web app. I don't know yet, but I could find out seen. This will 
determine how difficult this task would be. Another issue is compatibility with 
different browsers. IE probably works best for this and figuring out how to 
impliment it is key. I can create files that are linked to IE without replacing 
much in IE source files. I will be back with more info on this google docs 
thing.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Charles 
  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2011 9:33 AM
  Subject: Re: Coding for a new jaws accessible app


  Hi,

  In a news release dated 3/15/2011 the NFB has filed a complaint against two 
Universities namely NEW York University and Northwestern University concerning 
their adopting of software that is not accessible to the blind. 

  In their  request to investigate made to the  department of Justice Civil 
Rights Department the NFB states the adopting  of Google apps for education 
which includes   Google docs, g mail, etc;, discriminates against blind staff 
and students.

  A full copy of the news release can be found at: www.nfb.org  

  Charles



  From: Marquette, Ed 
  Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2011 6:30 AM
  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Subject: RE: Coding for a new jaws accessible app


  OK.
  This "coding for an application" raises a good point.  Indeed, Internet 
Explorer, FireFox, and the like are applications; however, Websites have 
progressed well beyond what we think of as traditional Websites.
  More and more, I'm seeing applications migrate away from the client/server 
model, where something is installed on a local PC, to Web-based applications, 
where the application resides remotely and is only accessed through the browser.
  For instance, I use a Web application at my office which is a pretty 
sophisticated document management system.
  By that, I mean only a shadow of a Microsoft Office document resides on the 
local drive (and only for emergency back-up purposes).  The real files are not 
even located on a remote server that our firm owns.  Instead, they reside 
somewhere in a mountain cave in Utah.
  When I want to access, search for, or save a document, Internet Explorer runs 
a Web application that looks up or stores the document with a whole range of 
information (e.g., author, creation date, last edit date, client number, matter 
number, document name, type of law, type of document, and selected key words.). 
 The look-up operates much like a Google search operates or, in the 
alternative, by field look-up.
  There are competitive applications, but they all operate on the client/server 
model.
  The point is that more and more of these Web applications are appearing.  
Fortunately, the one referenced above is pretty well behaved, particularly with 
JAWS and its quick keys, or whatever they are called.
  It does not, however, respond all that well to scripts.  That, however, may 
be my ineptitude as a script writer, though the scripts I wrote were hardly 
more than macros, i.e., a series of keystrokes.
  I would certainly like to see an accomplished script writer tackle, or try to 
tackle, a Web application of general applicability.
  I cannot think of an application with more general applicability than Google 
Docs, but I do have my own selfish objectives that, in the interest of full 
disclosure, I need to reveal.  Still, a free application that can be shared in 
a collaborative way with power that approaches Microsoft Office would be pretty 
important to lots of people.
  Google Docs is free.  Microsoft Office doesn't come cheap.
  Google Docs, however, may simply be too great a challenge.  After all, all 
the screen reader people seem to have given up on it.




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf 
Of Bob W
    Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2011 5:48 AM
    To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
    Subject: Re: Coding for a new jaws accessible app


    Peter, here's my thinking and I hope others will correct me if I'm wrong.
    A website is not an application. 
    the applications involved would be your browser--i.e. or firefox, or chrome.

    For that matter, google docs would not be an application either.

    Just my  thoughts.

    Bob

    A learning experience is one of those things that says, 'You know that 
thing you just did? Don't do that.' Douglas Adams  

      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Peter Holdstock 
      To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
      Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2011 5:06 AM
      Subject: Re: Coding for a new jaws accessible app


      Hi, for many blind people dating is quite difficult and many dating 
websites don’t seem too accessible, and I have seen a few posts from people 
trying to get various websites working. I’d be very grateful if the website 
www.plentyoffish.com was made accessible in some way. It is pretty accessible 
at the mom            ent so shouldn’t require too much work, but there are a 
lot of extra links and information you have to try and bypass to get to the 
useful stuff.

      I may be the only one who wants that website accessible, but I hope not 
and I think lots would benefit from a fully accessible dating site where it’s 
not just disabled people.

      Peter

      Thanks.

      Peter

      From: John Martyn 
      Sent: Friday, March 25, 2011 8:33 AM
      To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ; jaws-users-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
      Subject: Coding for a new jaws accessible app

      Hi folks,
      As my 32nd birthday approaches, I think I am going to make a habit of 
picking one new application per year to make jaws accessible. Picking Rhapsody 
was not an easy task, but it taught me many things about an application that 
seems next to impossible to make behave. I am taking off this summer from 
school and will have the time to code a new application. Rhapsody Blind was a 
test to see if I could pull it off, and it worked. I selfishly chose the first 
one, now I'm looking for the popular vote on what you might want. I probably 
won't start until this semester is over at the end of May, so this gives plenty 
of time to decide. It would be a good idea to chat among each other and find 
out what is needed or just plain want for entertainment purposes. So, let's 
open up the floor and hear some suggestions.
      Thanks,
      John Martyn

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